Our
private club division, Billy Casper
Signature
(BCS), was recently selected to re-open and operate Regents’ Glen Country Club
in York, PA. Situated within an upscale
residential community, it features a breathtaking golf course designed by
renowned architect Arthur Hills and the elegant Box Hill Mansion.

We
are not wasting time returning the club to its former glory as a neighborhood
centerpiece. Membership re-classifications and aggressive
promotions are already favorably impacting member acquisition and retention. The uptick also stems from confidence in the
professional and sustainable operating plan Billy Casper Signature created and
is following.

Other
private clubs under BCS management are also achieving significant growth. For example, a “Free Dues for Life” contest
has made the Country Club of Winter Haven the talk of Central Florida. This list of success stories go on. Kindly contact me to learn more.

You’re Hired

Evidencing
economic stability, the U.S. added 287,000 jobs in July, the best monthly gain
since October 2015. Far exceeding forecasts,
a rejuvenated Wall Street sent stocks soaring.
Squashing fears of an imminent recession following “Brexit,” the S&P
500 recently clinched a new record high. Not far behind, the Dow Jones Industrial
Average and NASDAQ are showing positive gains, pointing to a rising trend in
consumer confidence.

Connect Fore

Just
as important as a greens renovation, bunker restoration or clubhouse
enhancements is ensuring your golf course’s IT infrastructure is up to modern standards. Today’s golfer is glued to his or her phone and
computer more than ever, so providing high-speed, reliable Wi-Fi network in and
out of the clubhouse is vital. Furthermore,
telecommuting has grown 103% since 2005 as more than 3.7 million employees work
outside the office half the week. Conducting
business from the clubhouse is becoming increasingly popular and historic
Pittsburgh Golf Club evidences the benefits of
staying connected. This is why one of
the first steps BCG and BCS takes upon operating a course, club or resort is to
conduct a full-scale infrastructure assessment that accounts for the visible
and invisible.

Home Run

Highly-amenitized
gated communities – properly marketed with assistance from BGC’s high-powered,
in-house Buffalo.Agency – are poised for strong new home sales. The trend data is impressive:

While knowing the numbers is a key first step, it’s also incumbent on marketers
to play to prospective golf-centric homebuyers’ unique value system. To us, its components start with “s:”

Swing
– Influence of golf setting

Serenity
– Peace from open space

Schools
– Rankings and reputation

Strength
– Convenience to fitness

Status
– Moving up

Social
– Like-minded people

Security
– Appreciating investment

Style
– Architectural delight

Sterling
– New beginnings

So you’ve developed an audience and know what they
want. That’s great, but how do you reach
them? Our team thinks predominantly
digital:

73%
of home buyers initiated search online

92%
relied on Internet in some way during process

50%
used mobile or app

Average
11 searches online before visiting a real estate site

69%
of site viewership originates from local search term

Go For Gold

Justin
Rose and Inbee Park became golf’s first gold-medal winners in 112 years at the Rio
Olympics. They joined Henrik Stenson, Matt
Kuchar, Lydia Ko and Shanshan Feng on the podium, highlighting a star-studded field
of 60 men and 60 women representing 41 nations and bolstering golf’s global
appeal.

With
coverage streamed to millions of TVs, tablets and mobile devices worldwide, the
final 90 minutes of competition railed only The Masters in household rating
(5.6) and digital viewership (8.8 million) in 2016.

This
evidences substantially greater interest in playing is here and now. Latent demand is poised to take lessons, buy
clubs and apparel, and head to driving ranges and golf courses near us. It’s incumbent on owners and operators to
properly and proactively take advantage of this movement.